"Haa~…"


    When Sam entered the living area of his hotel suit, the first thing that caught his attention was Zero Three yawning as shey down on one of the sofas. Compared to Five and the other Valkyries around, she was the only one who seemed to becking her usual energy.


    "What''s wrong, Three?" He asked. "Didn''t you get enough sleep?"


    His question didn''t make any sense as the Valkyries didn''t have the same needs as humans, but looking at her state, that was the only conclusion he coulde up with.


    Sadly it seems his guess was off as she gave him a re before turning away with a pout.


    "It seems Ms. Ranford had kept her awake all night." Nine casually slid to his side as she spoke. "She brought a lot of clothes and asked her to try all of them."


    "Oh, I see…" His brows rose a bit as he finally understood. The red haired Lieutenant was the kind of woman that would do it.


    "The clothes weren''t the problem." Three said, still frowning. "It''s the photos that bother me. She Kept taking more and more, and before we knew it morning already arrived."


    Apparently Melissa had borrowed some equipment from the reporters who came for the award ceremony and turned her room into a shooting set. She took thousands of photos all while salivating like an obsessed drug addict, and if not for Eleven showing up, Three would''ve been stuck with her all day.


    "Now that''s too much." Sam said angrily after hearing the entire story. "How dare she hold a fashion show without inviting me!!? I need to get my hands on those photos!"


    His very serious response only angered the young Valkyrie even more, but she couldn''t stay like that for long when he sat beside her and began patting her head.


    "Sorry, Three. I''m sure Melissa didn''t have any ill intent, but I will make sure to warn her either way."


    "No, it''s not really that important." Three replied, leaning against him as she savored his touch. "She said I can keep the clothes so…"


    "I see. Then, how about I make it up for you when we get home?" He asked. "Is there something you want?"


    As soon as he finished saying those words, the young Valkyrie looked up at him with sparkling eyes.


    "The sea!" She said without a moment of hesitation. "I want to go swimming in the sea!"


    Sam felt that she had that answer prepared for a while now, but that didn''t really matter.


    "Then, let''s have a short vacation once we''re done with the Ritual." He said, holding her chin while bringing his face to hers. "Make sure to choose a cute swimsuit, okay?"


    A single kiss was enough to take away all the exhaustion both of them felt. The truth was that he wanted to do a lot more than that, but time wasn''t on their side.


    "That''s not fair." Nine puffed her cheeks. "I want a kiss as well!"


    "Your punishment isn''t over yet," Sam replied. "You should learn to restrain yourself."


    Just as he was about to stand up his phone rang. The caller wasn''t someone he expected so he had no idea what it might be about.


    [Doctor Sanderson.] Mimir''s face appeared on the window projected by his phone. [I apologize for calling so early in the morning.]


    "No need." He shook his head one. "Did something happen?"


    [One of the guards we brought along is trying to sneak into the human city.] The green-haired Nephilim spoke with a calm voice. [Apparently, she convinced one of your Valkyries toe along.]


    Sam looked over his shoulder, and as soon as his eyes met hers, Nana took out her own phone and started looking through it.


    "It''s Juni." She said. "Should I tell her to return?"


    The energetic tomboy''s face sprang up in Sam''s mind and he began to consider his options. He nced at Nino who was having her breakfast nearby and she responded with a shrug of her shoulders. Such an event probably didn''t hold much significance so she never mentioned it before, but it might be another Divergence her Needle failed to predict before as well.


    ''In the first ce, should I be allowing Valkyries to roam free among humans?''


    Coexistence was one of his main goals so it would be for the best if the Valkyries themselves were proactive in trying to get along with humans. There were many ways this could go wrong though so he didn''t hurry in making his decision.


    "I have checked the security footage." Nana''s voice cut his train of thought. "It seems they''ve made contact with a woman in the underground parking lot and convinced her to take them with her car."


    "A woman?" Sam raised an eyebrow.


    "She''s a reporter named Sara Pinkman." The silver-haired Valkyrie replied, having already figured out the woman''s identity. "She was smoking in a corner before the two arrived so I don''t think she knew they would be there."


    "Hmm…"


    Sam knew he recognized the name from somewhere so it didn''t take him long to remember. Sara Pinkman was a reporter working for the Frontline Times and was very critical of the Resistance and the Valkyries.


    ''She''s an honest reporter, though. I doubt she''ll do anything stupid…''


    After giving it some more thought, he turned back to Mimir.


    "What does her Highness think of this?"


    The Nephilim''s expression barely changed, but Sam understood that she had already caught on to what he had in mind.


    [Our schedule for the day is empty so she gave everyone permission to do as they please.] Mimir answered. [Though I doubt that included going off to the human city.]


    The hotel they were staying at was a five stars by pre-war standards, meaning it had enough leisure facilities to keep them upied for more than one day. Because of that, it was a mystery as to why those two decided to visit the city, Then again Juni always seemed to be the adventurous type so curiosity must''ve taken the better of her.


    "How about we just leave them to it for the time being?" Sam eventually said, the idea putting a smile on his face.


    [Pardon?] Mimir was expectedly perplexed.


    "Let''s just say it''s an experiment. There shouldn''t be any problem with allowing those two some freedom, and you don''t have to worry; we will take responsibility if anything goes wrong."


    The whole thing sounded like a disaster waiting to happen, but Sam wanted to proceed anyway. Mimir stared at him for a while, her expression remaining unchanged. Eventually, she closed her eyes as if to admit defeat.


    [As long as it doesn''t reflect badly on us.] She said. [Her Highness seems to be gaining poprity among the masses. We don''t want anything that might harm her image.]


    "I will warn them to avoid trouble so rest assured."


    The call ended soon after. Sam gave Nana some instructions, and by the time he was done the press conference was only a few minutes away.